Iran Nuclear Chief Demands Uranium Enrichment Rights as Prerequisite for Permanent US Ceasefire

Nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami says Tehran’s right to enrich uranium is a "necessary" part of the Islamabad ceasefire talks with the United States.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 9, 2026, 5:50 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Times of Israel

Uranium Enrichment as a Mandatory Red Line

The head of Iran’s nuclear agency has firmly positioned uranium enrichment at the center of the diplomatic roadmap intended to end the current conflict with the United States. Speaking in Tehran during a memorial for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died on February 28, Mohammad Eslami stated that protecting the nation's nuclear "rights" is a necessary foundation for any durable agreement. Eslami criticized Washington for failing to include enrichment rights in the preliminary ceasefire discussions, characterizing the issue as a fundamental "part of the necessary things" that Western negotiators have largely ignored. This demand serves as a core pillar of Iran’s ten-point peace proposal, which Tehran insists must be accepted in its entirety to transform the current 14-day pause into a permanent cessation of hostilities.

The Islamabad Summit and High-Level Delegations

Diplomatic focus is now shifting to Islamabad, Pakistan, where high-level delegations from both nations are scheduled to meet this weekend to begin formal negotiations. The United States is sending a formidable team led by Vice President JD Vance, which also includes Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. They are expected to face an Iranian delegation headed by the Speaker of Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. While the U.S. delegation arrives with a 15-point counter-proposal focused on "complete denuclearization" and the permanent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Eslami’s comments suggest that Tehran remains entrenched in its position that its nuclear program is a matter of national sovereignty that cannot be bargained away.

Contested Terms of the Ten-Point Plan

Tehran’s comprehensive peace blueprint, circulated through mediators earlier this week, demands significant concessions that go far beyond a simple cessation of military strikes. In addition to the recognition of enrichment rights, the plan calls for the full lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets, and the total withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from regional bases. Mohammad Eslami’s public rhetoric reinforces the Iranian National Security Council’s stance that a binding UN Security Council resolution must cement these terms. However, President Donald Trump has dismissed parts of the Iranian propo...